In one of the studies, researchers asked 210 participants (61% of them women) about their political ideologies. Then, the researchers told the participants they had $2 to spend on a new light bulb, and talked up the energy-saving advantages of compact fluorescent light bulbs compared to incandescent bulbs. Some of the CFL bulbs had a sticker attached that proclaimed: “Protect the Environment.” Others had a blank sticker, according to a summary of the study.

When the CFL bulb was priced at $1.50, and the incandescent bulb at 50 cents, politically moderate or conservative participants were less likely to buy the CFL when it had the green label. When the CFL bulb had no environmental message, liberals and conservatives chose it at “roughly the same high frequency,” the summary reports.

In the other experiment, 657 adults, 49% of them men, were asked about the value they placed on cutting carbon dioxide emissions to protect the environment, reduce reliance on foreign oil and lower energy costs. They were asked their views on investing in technology to reduce energy use.

The more conservative the person, the less likely they were to say they supported spending money on energy efficiency technology, the researchers found. More in the full post.